Ronald van der Linden

Ronald van der Linden is Director General of the Royal Observatory of Belgium, a leading institution in solar-terrestrial physics and space weather research. He holds a PhD in Sciences (Summa Cum Laude) from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (1991) and a Master in Mathematical Sciences (Summa Cum Laude, 1987). His career spans over 30 years in theoretical solar physics, computational modeling, and space weather operations.

Research focuses on magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) applied to solar coronal structures, fusion plasmas, and space weather forecasting. He leads the Solar Influences Data Analysis Centre (SIDC) and contributed to the European Space Weather Weeks. Awards include membership in Academia Europaea and NASA/NOAA Solar Cycle Prediction Panel roles.

Management highlights include directing the Royal Observatory’s 180-person team with an annual €10-12M budget, and coordinating the Solar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence (€4.5M annual budget). Teaching includes supervising master’s and PhD students, alongside public outreach lectures on solar-terrestrial connections.